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Produce Pandas (fully stylized as 熊猫堂ProducePandas) is a Chinese boy group dubbed as "China's first plus-size boy band" formed and managed by DMDF Entertainment, which was set up under Simply Joy Music to specifically manage plus-sized groups. The group, consisting of five members: Cui Yunfeng(Otter), Chen Dingding(DING), Shi Qijun(Mr. 17), Qi Ha(Husky) and Ka Si(Cass), made their debut on July 28, 2020 with their single "La La La".

Background
The idea for Produce Pandas began its formation in 2018 when their parent label Simply Joy Music decided to form a boy group that breaks the "aesthetic stereotypes" perpetuated by the idol industry in an effort to create role models who are ordinary and relatable to their fans. The management noticed that idol groups in the market tend to have a lot of similarities in terms of build, style and temperament. This gives form to the stereotype that all idols have to be thin, young and fair-skinned. Produce Pandas aim to become idols centered around being more "rotund and approachable" instead of the cool and handsome demeanor sported by boy groups.

Formation and pre-debut activities
Scouts and notices were sent out to recruit plus-sized men, and out of the approximate 300 candidates who auditioned, 5 were picked for the final lineup after months of testing and eliminations in the form of weekly, monthly and quarterly assessments.

The chosen members came from various backgrounds and gave up their jobs, ranging from Amazon customer service to petroleum refinery to start their full-time training for Produce Pandas, with their oldest member being at the age of 30 at the time of joining.

While three of the members have experience in singing, only one came from a dancing background. The group underwent intense "K-pop style" training in order to match the industry standards in terms of performance skills.

2020: Debut Album "A.S.I.A", First Concert
After their initial debut, they followed up with their first album "A.S.I.A" on 15 October. It is their only album to receive a music video for each song. While originally intended to have its videos filmed at various places over Asia, but due to the COVID-19 outbreak, many of the videos were filmed back in Beijing.

On November 22, Produce Pandas held a concert in Chengdu.

On December 18, the group announced their leader, fandom name (Pandakeepers) and official group colour #FF0000 on a Weibo post.

2021: Youth With You, "Stand Up" EP, 2nd Album "Emo了", National Tour
Produce Pandas competed on the 3rd season of Chinese reality show Youth with You, where Ding and Otter managed to pass the first elimination before finishing at 52 and 42 respectively.

Shortly after the show on May 13, Produce Pandas released their single and music video "Dream".

Produce Pandas announced their first EP "Stand Up" which released on May 28 along with a music video for the title track two days later.

On July 28th, Produce Pandas released a single "The ONE" for their one year anniversary, which came in a Chinese version and a Japanese version with a music video for both tracks, as well as their second concert on July 30 which featured their debut performance of "The ONE", in Beijing.

On September, their company teased the title track of their second studio album, to be revealed on September 28 as "Free Fall", with a music video following two days later. The album, "Emo了" was announced to be released on October 15, featuring six new tracks and four released tracks. Another track of the album, "Victims", received two music videos centered around NSSI (Non suicidal self injury) to raise awareness on issues of mental health and self-harm. A national tour was also announced with the album release, scheduled for Shanghai, Chengdu and Guangzhou, on 24 October, 30 October and 18 December, respectively. The Chengdu concert was postponed to 20 November as a precaution due to a resurgence of COVID-19 cases in the area.

Produce Pandas performed on 23 September in the Migu Music 来电之夜 "The Night of Unlimited Power" live concert along with other artists like Chris Li and Mao Bu Yi.

Concert and Tours

 * 熊猫堂ProducePandas A.S.I.A 感恩首唱会 - 2020
 * "We are The One 熊猫堂一周年演唱会"  Produce Pandas 1st anniversary concert - 2021
 * 熊猫堂 EMO了 全国巡回演唱会  Produce Pandas EMO了 National concert tour - 2021
 * Shanghai